Niagara County lawmakers set to vote on NCCC trustee seat

A member of the Niagara County Community College Board of Trustees, who took the seat mid-term to replace its outgoing holder, is expected to be re-appointed by the Niagara County Legislature on Tuesday evening. But if Democrats have their way, Vincent Sandonato will be ousted.

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WBFO's Michael Mroziak reports.

Sandonato replaced Henry Wojtaszek on the Board of Trustees in late June 2016. The latter resigned the seat upon taking a job leading Western Region Off Track Betting. Sandonato's seat is up for an expected vote at Tuesday evening's legislature meeting.

Vincent Sandonato

Credit Niagara County Community College

Democrats, although in a minority, want him replaced. They've nominated Jimmy Cancemi, a retired Niagara Falls schoolteacher who remains active in education and owns a business. Jason Zona, who represents the legislature's 5th District, says Cancemi came forward last year expressing interest in a spot on the Board of Trustees but is not a political person.

Zona and other Democrats take exception to Sandonato's position to keep embattled and now former NCCC president James Klyczek on the job, rather than place him on administrative leave, amidst an investigation into alleged bid-rigging and sexual assault victim-shaming.

"If the federal government announces they're investigating you for improprieties, you have to put that gentleman on leave so that they can do their investigation," Zona said. "Keeping him in that position is doing nothing more than impeding the investigation. That raises a lot of red flags to me."

Sandonato explained why he and his fellow trustees kept Klyczek on the job.

"We didn't any sufficient information," he said. "The Board of Trustees decided to conduct a formal investigation into all the allegations. We hired a law firm to do such. A faction of the Board of Trustees wanted to ignore that for their own personal reasons."

Sandonato dismissed criticism against him as "party politics."

Also under consideration for the seat is Ronald Winkley, a former Town of Lewiston police chief who now serves as a graduate director for Niagara University.

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Niagara County Community College Board of Trustees is expected to take a crucial vote on future of the college’s president. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says the Board has called for a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

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WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says the NCCC Board has called for a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Hours before the Niagara County Community College was slated to fire him, college president James Klyczek notified the college board he was retiring, effective immediately. The board of trustees appointed Academic Affairs Vice President Luba Chliwniak as officer-in-charge for up to 90 days.